Politics in Benue state could be described as a venture that is not for the faint-hearted. This is because, the waters are ever-restless, with very strong currents and tides, unpredictable with the sharks never far away. Literary!
However, in the midst of all these, the incumbent Governor of the state, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia has continued to steer the ship of the state with unprecedented calm and an unequalled determination.
Since assuming the office, the Governor has chosen a path that departs significantly from the status quo. What was obtainable in Benue was simply a retrogressive political culture where loyalty to entrenched interests perpetually outweighed loyalty to the people. But he has tactically reversed the equation with governance under his watch, gradually shifting from patronage to performance.
Already, in less than three years in office, his tangible footprints are emerging across the state.
For instance, a new University project at Ihugh in Vandeikya Local Government Area, signals a commitment to expanding access to higher education, preparing Benue’s youth for a competitive future. In the basic education sector, the construction of storey buildings in primary schools, once thought improbable in many rural communities, loudly speaks to a new ambition.
Rural roads are being opened up, reconnecting communities long cut off from opportunity.
Alia’s administration’s ingenuity in human capacity development initiatives are also steadily giving young people and professionals alike a renewed sense of inclusion in the state’s growth story.
It is worthy to note however, that these efforts have not come without resistance. But it is a statement of fact that change rarely does.
Some persons within the political elite, many of whom once held sway at the state level, federal level and even both, have reportedly bristled at a style of leadership that does not bow easily to old hierarchies and acclaimed empires.
Watchers of political development in the state may agree that there are noticeable murmurs, glaring moves of subtle alliances, and calculated attempts to frustrate reforms or cast doubt on progress. The battle for a possible second term has, in some quarters, already begun.
Lest we forget so easily, history has a way of asking simple questions: Who had the opportunity to serve? What did they do with it? For years, some of today’s loudest critics occupied commanding heights of influence. Yet, the dividends many now promise, were not delivered when the reins were firmly in their hands.
But the Benue people are politically enlightened and their conscience alive. They understand hardship; they also recognize effort. The task before them is obvious; to separate genuine concern from recycled ambition.
The enemies of progress should not be carried away by whatever that is giving them boosts. They should know that it is easy to recruit the unsuspecting with grand rhetoric, but it is harder to erase visible projects on ground.
Ours is not a call for blind loyalty to any individual or group. Rather, it is an earnest call for discernment. Democracy thrives when citizens judge leaders by measurable impact rather than orchestrated vicious noise.
As we are headed towards another electioneering period with the political drums growing louder by day, the people of Benue must remain focused on substance over cruel sabotage.
We must avoid going back to Egypt. The future of the state must no longer be entrusted in the hands of those who had their moments and left little behind.
Although, the waters are calculatedly made murky, it should be a deliberate effort to ensure that clarity must come from the shore; from the people themselves, who must decide whether steady oars or familiar storms best serve their future.
Sir Tersoo Kula, mnipr,
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Benue State.
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